With Cultivation Simulator in a Chaotic World-Chapter 31: Night-Wandering Martial Artists

The sun set in the west, and the sky gradually turned bloody red.

Darkness once again enveloped the earth, with countless shadows faintly echoing with roars.

On a deserted mountain, a group of people carried lanterns, heading towards the official road.

"Hmm, this is yours, remember not to exceed a ten-meter range from me." A man wearing a bamboo hat handed Jiang Ming an amulet.

Jiang Ming was draped in a black robe, with a bundle hanging at his waist. If it weren’t for the exotic white deer beside him, Jiang Ming would look completely ordinary.

"Thank you."

The amulet featured a Bronze Vermilion Bird, but it lacked the special aura of the Vermilion Birds suspended in city-states and cities.

On the contrary, in the lantern held by the man in the bamboo hat, the wick seemed to have a Vermilion Bird dancing within.

"Kid, you’re quite lucky to have encountered us."

Beside him, a woman with phoenix eyes, thin lips, yet exceptionally beautiful in yellow clothes said so.

"Alright, Junior Sister Tan, say less."

Beside the man in the bamboo hat stood a plainly dressed man in blue with a simple appearance.

Then the man looked apologetically at Jiang Ming and said, "Brother, the Vermilion Bird Replica is precious, so we asked for the medicinal herbs from you."

"No problem, each takes what they need."

Jiang Ming petted the white deer beside him, his tone lacking any emotional fluctuation.

The time Jiang Ming estimated ultimately diverged somewhat from reality.

This is why Anluo Mountain is marked as treacherous terrain.

Harvesting the Bright Peak White Snow Flower on Anluo Mountain is not particularly difficult; the challenge is its remote location.

Moreover, a section of the mountain path is clear during the day but becomes obscure and unpredictable at dusk, making it extremely easy to lose one’s way.

This slight deviation caused Jiang Ming to be unable to reach the official road before darkness fell.

Therefore, at this time, Jiang Ming simply gave up on directly returning to the official road and instead began searching for these night-wandering martial artists.

Martial artists rarely leave the city at night under normal circumstances, but there are exceptions.

These night-wandering martial artists all possess extremely expensive Vermilion Bird Replicas, and this replica of the Bronze Vermilion Bird, combined with the martial artists’ qi-blood, can intimidate the surrounding evil spirits during the night.

This is the only means of survival outside of waystations in the wild.

Jiang Ming looked from a high vantage point, using almost superhuman eyesight, to barely find such a team.

He paid with some ginseng root to gain the privilege of joining the team.

While having additional martial artists adds more qi-blood to deter evil spirits, it also introduces an unstable factor.

This small team is a family team from Mingwu City. Although not one of the Thirty-Six Main Cities, Mingwu City is much stronger than Evergreen City.

There are five people in the team.

The mysterious man in the bamboo hat, and two men and two women.

The phoenix-eyed woman apparently found Jiang Ming displeasing to the eye, snorted softly, and turned her head away.

Another woman in white looked at the white deer at Jiang Ming’s feet, a hint of curiosity and amazement flashing in her eyes.

She said, "Brother, I wonder if your exotic white deer is for sale? What’s the price?"

The Little White Deer seemed to understand and lifted its head warily.

Jiang Ming shook his head, "It’s not for sale."

The woman in white wanted to say more, but the man in the bamboo hat stated, "Silence."

Then the man in the bamboo hat examined the terrain and continued to lead the team in a certain direction.

Jiang Ming knew this person was checking the geomancy, as nature contains many mysteries, with some terrains exhibiting yin or yang feng shui.

The man in the bamboo hat sought a yang place, which is typically unwelcoming to evil spirits.

Places like waystations on official roads, major cities, and even some villages outside the city are mostly situated in yang places.

Soon, they found themselves in a pebbly clearing, with sparse trees growing—an open view, not exactly providing a sense of security.

The others didn’t doubt a thing.

"This place, where yin gives birth to yang, is not bad. A rare yang place to find."

The man in the bamboo hat praised, then sat down at a spot.

The remaining people sat with him, circling the Vermilion Bird Lamp, everyone holding a Vermilion Bird Replica.

Just like a flame, dazzling, but also burning those who get too close.

The sun set completely beyond the horizon, and the bright moon slowly rose.

The cold, damp air began to spread, with piercing cold winds blowing over everyone, and from the distance came the cries and howls of ghosts and wolves.

Jiang Ming could sharply sense something in the darkness watching them.

With just a flick, those gazes vanished, as if fearing them.

Jiang Ming did not look into the darkness, instead turning his back on it, eyes slightly closed, preparing for dawn with the others.

Suddenly, Jiang Ming felt his sleeve being tugged, puzzled, he turned to see the Little White Deer constantly pulling at his sleeve, softly whining, seemingly trying to alert Jiang Ming to something.

Jiang Ming frowned slightly, warily scanning the surroundings.

"Brother, can’t you control your pet?"

The phoenix-eyed woman opened her eyes, asking Jiang Ming angrily.

Jiang Ming didn’t respond, his eyes slightly squinting as he scanned the surroundings.

The man with the bamboo hat sitting in the center suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, "Young hero, there seems to be something on you..."

"Something? Please enlighten me, senior..." Jiang Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something ominous.

"This seems to be... Evil-Attracting Powder, it appears the young hero has been set up..."

At these three words, everyone’s expression changed drastically.

The phoenix-eyed woman gritted her teeth, "He shouldn’t have been let into the team, Brother, it’s all your fault for coveting his herbs!"

The team fell into a commotion, with all eyes on Jiang Ming.

"What is Evil-Attracting Powder?" Jiang Ming asked, ignoring the others.

"Evil-Attracting Powder is a rare material on the market, extracted from evil spirits using special methods, used to attract evil spirits in the wild. It’s invisible during the day but very evident at night; young hero, do you smell a faint sandalwood scent on yourself?"

The man in a bamboo hat remained calm, explaining in a normal tone.

"Indeed." Jiang Ming sniffed carefully, realizing there was a faint sandalwood scent on him.

There was no such smell on Jiang Ming during the day.

"Since that’s the case, brother, we’re sorry, but for the safety of the team, please leave, and here are your herbs, please..."

The plain-dressed young man hadn’t finished speaking when the phoenix-eyed woman interrupted.

"Returning what... he knowingly hid the Evil-Attracting Powder on him, old man Mo’s discovery is clearly our compensation!"

"Yes, and your white deer would only meet its doom following you, why not sell it to me instead?" The woman in white looked at the Little White Deer, smirking.